Two men allegedly received over $20,000, Rolex watch from victims of foreign scam syndicate

SINGAPORE – Two men have been accused of helping a foreign scam syndicate collect more than $20,000 and a Rolex watch from victims in Singapore.

Initial investigations reveal that the men are allegedly part of a scam syndicate in Malaysia.

On Aug 18, Lee Kok Keong, 45, and Sim Man Kiat, 39, were each handed one charge of helping another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct.

The two Malaysians were arrested after officers from the Anti-Scam Command enlisted the help of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to establish their identities.

Lee is accused of collecting a Rolex watch valued at $16,500 from a victim on Aug 14. He was detained at Woodlands Checkpoint when he re-entered Singapore from Malaysia two days later.

He will be remanded for investigations to be completed. The prosecution said Lee had entered Singapore solely to act for the syndicate and that he is a high flight risk.

The prosecution added that there is also a possibility that Lee would contact other syndicate members if he is allowed to be out on bail, which could jeopardise the investigation.

Lee’s case will be mentioned again on Sept 15.

Sim is accused of collecting more than $20,000 from victims in Singapore between June and August, in his role acting for the syndicate.

The police said he was arrested near People’s Park Complex on Aug 16. He will also be remanded for further investigations and will return to court on Aug 25.

The police received several reports between July and August by victims who claimed to have been deceived by scammers impersonating as officials from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Police Force.

The victims said they were told that they were implicated in criminal activities such as unauthorised bank transactions and money laundering. The scammers then asked the victims to surrender their monies for investigative purposes.

Several victims reported transferring money to the scammers, or physically handing over money and valuables to the men, said the police.

“The police would like to remind members of the public to never transfer monies, hand monies or other valuables to any unknown persons or persons whose identity you did not verify, or place monies or valuables at a physical location to facilitate subsequent collection,” said the police in an Aug 17 statement.

Lee and Sim may be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both, if found guilty of assisting another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct.

Meanwhile, a Singaporean woman was handed one charge under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act on Aug 18 for her suspected involvement in providing fraudulently registered postpaid SIM cards for monetary gains.

Singaporean Sherilyn Kung Mun Yee, 31, is accused of registering a shell company to apply for over 600 SIM cards between June and July.

Police investigations said that some time in August, Kung reportedly received 88 SIM cards registered under the shell company. She then allegedly handed them to an unknown individual in exchange for between $40 and $48 per card.

She was arrested at Changi Airport on Aug 17 and will remain in remand until she returns to court on Aug 25.

If found guilty of transacting SIM cards registered using another person’s personal information for criminal activity, Kung can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $10,000, or both.